"Those slave traders sold weapons to our hostile tribes and provoked a war between us. We were caught off guard and suffered a big loss. Over the years, many people in the tribe were captured one after another, and the number was reduced by half. In order to survive, we had to We kept moving, but the slave traders always seemed to be able to find us. They also came to my father and expressed their willingness to exchange weapons for the prisoners we captured, but my father refused without hesitation.
"Then our living environment became increasingly bad, until several nearby tribes joined forces under the instigation of the slave traders and launched a raid on us. My father and brother were both involved in that battle. After they died in the battle, they killed the elders in the tribe and sold the remaining young and strong youths to the slave traders who provided them with weapons." Laeri said, "And I am one of them."
"So those female slaves and Lakutua were all from your tribe, and they knew your identity? But how is it possible? As far as I know, in order to prevent slaves from rioting, those slave traders usually transferred people from the same tribe Sold separately to different buyers." Zhang Hengdao.
"Only four of the people who were bought with me in this batch were from my tribe. One of them got sick and died soon after, and another was caught trying to escape and whipped to death. Now add I only have three people left. To be honest, I didn’t expect to meet Nivasha and the others here. They were a group of people who were kidnapped at the beginning of the tribal war. They were mainly women. I probably thought they were less of a threat. Those The slave owners did not completely separate them, many of them were sold here... As for Lakotua, he and I were captured together, but we were later sold to different buyers, Malcolm He likes to watch gladiators, and he has been collecting powerful gladiators. He heard about how powerful Lacutua is and spent money to buy him back a month ago."
After Laeri introduced his background, he paused and said, "I heard you say on the carriage before that you planned to deal with Malcolm?"
Zhang Heng nodded, "There is some grudge between the Black Merchant Alliance he belongs to and my Jackdaw. This is not a secret. The whole of Nassau knows about it. Tonight he invited me to his manor for a banquet, also at Seeking the possibility of reconciliation.”
"And you don't plan to accept his proposal, why?" Laeri stared into someone's eyes tightly, as if he wanted to see through him completely.
"I don't like to put my destiny in the hands of others." Zhang Heng did not hide it, "I have no personal grudges with Malcolm, but once the black business alliance he leads is successfully established, it will have a firm foothold on the island. Heel, this is not good news for all those who pursue freedom. Nassau will then be completely controlled by capital."
Laeri didn't quite understand the meaning of Zhang Heng's last sentence, but he could see that the other party did not deceive him, and at least for now, Zhang Heng should have chosen to stand on the opposite side of Malcolm.
So he was silent for a while and then spoke again, "After my father and brother died in the battle, according to the rules of the tribe, I became the new chief. I have the obligation to save the brothers and sisters of the tribe from suffering and break their feet." The shackles on me allowed them to breathe the air of freedom again, which is why I had to escape from that manor no matter what."
Zhang Heng said, "I admire your ideals very much, but unfortunately I'm afraid I can't help you much."
As a later generation, he certainly had no favorable impression of the black slave trade, the dirtiest and bloody chapter in modern human history. But it was one thing to save Laeri, and it was another thing to help him liberate other slaves in the manor. It's another matter. Now is almost the most dangerous period for the Jackdaw and Karina. Zhang Heng wants to focus all his attention on Malcolm and his Black Business Alliance, and has no extra energy to help. Laeri.
As a result, the black gladiator shook his head when he heard this, "I'm not begging for your help, but I want to cooperate with you."
"cooperate?"
"Yes, you want to know what the differences are between Malcolm and Raymond. Maybe I can help you." Laeri said, "The black people who were sold to the New World by slave traders had many tragic endings and became the protagonists. Fighters, fighting like wild beasts with their own kind for the amusement of their masters are also one of them, but sometimes this is not entirely a bad thing, because we occasionally hear more about it than our fellow laborers.
"In the eyes of those white people, we are just walking goods and labor, their private property. They don't care about our thoughts and feelings. Without their permission, we can't leave the manor in our lives, so they won't do many things deliberately. Avoid us. From the first day I was sold to Terence Manor, I have been preparing to escape there one day. In addition to learning more vocabulary in private to understand the world, I am also working hard to collect various Information, hoping to find a way to escape.”
Laeri paused, "About eight months ago, Malcolm and Raymond had a private gathering. Malcolm asked me and another slave to perform a gladiatorial fight in front of them, but during this period the two of them They were both a little distracted, and there was a small quarrel afterwards.”
Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows, Laeri's words aroused his interest.
"The focus of their dispute seems to be a businessman, because it has nothing to do with my escape plan. It has been so long that I can't remember the name. I only know that he is also a black market businessman on the island, working with Malcolm and Ray. Mond was engaged in the same thing and seemed to have a certain reputation. Raymond approached him once and talked about forming a black business alliance, but he met with strong resistance.
"He said he was playing with fire and burned himself. He also warned Raymond that Malcolm was too ambitious. Raymond discussed the matter with Malcolm afterwards. They both felt it was a bit tricky. That man was not the most powerful person on the island. The businessmen who made money were very old and had a certain influence. Raymond advocated slowly communicating with the other party, but that guy was arrested in the colony soon after. Raymond suspected that Malcolm was responsible. But Malcolm said that the incident had nothing to do with him, and the two had a dispute over the incident and ended up breaking up."
Zhang Heng's heart moved. He thought of what Karina had told him about her father's experience when they first met. The two happened to coincide in time. Zhang Heng did not expect that the businesswoman's father was arrested in New Jersey. It is also related to the Black Business Alliance, so it seems that things may not be as simple as they appear.
